Background

Pim Handgraaf - Founder
The Royal Dutchman
 

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Pim has resided in San Diego, California since 2020. He comes from a family deeply rooted in European tradition, where discipline, etiquette, and personal conduct were not presented as ideals, but upheld as obligations. His grandmother was a baroness, and from an early age, all children and grandchildren were raised to understand standards, responsibility, and the weight of stewardship passed down through generations.
 

His professional foundation was shaped within European hospitality, an environment where discretion, precision, and service excellence are expected rather than acknowledged. He later worked as a high-end event organizer at The Waiter in the Netherlands, serving private clients for whom execution, reliability, and refinement were fundamental requirements.
 

Having lived and worked in the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Mexico, and the United States, Pim developed a deep appreciation for cultural distinction and expectation. While customs and preferences vary, one principle proved universal: true service is defined by consistency, foresight, and restraint, never by excess or explanation.

These values, formed through heritage and experience, led to the establishment of Handgraaf Estates in the United States. The firm was founded to deliver luxury property management and household staffing in alignment with traditional European standards, emphasizing trust, discretion, and uncompromising attention to detail.

​